The Drunken Monkey

Alcoholism, as opposed to the safe consumption of alcohol, remains a major public health issue. In this book, I present a novel evolutionary interpretation to explain both routine low-level consumption of alcohol as well as persistence of alcohol-related problems. Providing a deep-time, interdisciplinary perspective on today’s patterns of alcohol consumption and abuse, I trace the link between the fruit-eating behavior of tropical arboreal primates and the evolution of sensory skills required to localize ripe and fermented fruits that contain sugar and low levels of alcohol. In addition to introducing this new approach to the relationship of humans to alcohol, the book discusses supporting research, implications of the hypothesis, and the medical and social impacts of alcoholism.